There has been a lot of stir in political circles lately about the government's attempt to regulate what you eat. California has banned trans fat. The New York State Legislature is debating a bill that would ban the use of salt from restaurant cooking. The Congress is debating a law ("S. 510, The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010"), which would give the government sweeping powers to ban whatever foods they want. The Obama Administration is arguing in a lawsuit pending in federal court that individuals have no "fundamental right" to eat what food they choose. Guess what? So-called conservatives are culpable here too. Why? Because this is a logical consequence of the war on drugs.
The government will argue that they have regulated what you can ingest since the the Progressive Era -- first with booze and then with drugs. So why can't they regulate what you eat too?
Oh... but drugs are harmful to society as a whole, not just to the individual taking them.
So is being fat.
Fat people are a national security risk because in time of national emergency they cannot be conscripted to fight. Fat people are an economic risk because they take more sick days than people who are height / weight proportionate. Fat people are a burden to our healthcare system because they need more medical care, which makes all of our health premiums increase. On and on and on...
There is an old adage that is very instructive here: Give someone an inch and they will take mile. So-called "conservatives" just don't get it. They think they can use the power of the state to promote "conservative" ends. How has that been working out for you over the past 100 years???
In addition to the loss of freedom, the government is likely to ban the wrong foods with regards to health. The "food pyramid" that the government promoted from the 1970s until just a couple of years ago told us to stuff ourselves full of carbohydrates and avoid all fats, eggs, and other foods that are now known to be healthy. Many experts believe that the Federal government's promotion of carbohydrates was the root cause of the obesity crisis that has plagued the country since the government's food pyramid was published.
This is never going to end until "conservatives" realize that government is at best a necessary evil. It can't be harnessed to promote a good society. It can't be harnessed to promote "conservative" ends. At most, the federal government has a responsibility for defending us against foreign threats and not much else.
If "conservatives" want to do some good for society, they would put the government on a diet.
